Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lesson 1 S W B: Introduction To The Sketcher Work Bench
Lesson 1 S W B: Introduction To The Sketcher Work Bench
Some tools have an arrow located at the bottom right of the tool icon. The arrow is an indication that there is more than one variation of that particular type of tool. The tools that have more than one optional tools option are listed to the right of the default tool. To display the other tool options you must select and hold the left mouse button on the arrow as shown in Figure 1.1. This will bring up the optional tools window. Move your mouse to the desired tool and release the mouse button. The desired
1.2
tool now becomes the default tool, shown on the tool bar. All you have to do to select the new default tool is to double click on it.
NOTE: Arrow indicates multiple tools are available. Click on the arrow and the other tool options will appear. Tools covered in this lesson: Corner, Chamfer, Trim and Break. Symmetry and Project 3D Elements tools will be covered in Lesson 2.
Rectangle, Oriented Rectangle, Parallelogram, Oblong Profile, Curved Oblong Profile, Keyhole Profile, Hexagon Circle, Three Point Circle, Circle Using Coordinates, Tri-Tangent Circle, Three Point Arc, Three Point Arc Starting With Limits, Arc Ellipse, Parabola By Focus, Hyperbola By Focus Line, Bi-Tangent Line Point By Clicking, Point By Using Coordinates, Equidistant Points
Tools covered in this lesson: Profile, Rectangle, Circle, Line and Point.
1.3
All of the constraint tools are covered in this lesson. NOTE: The three tool bars are, by default, located on the right side of the screen. The three tool bars contain too many tools to show all of them in one Lesson. To view and have access to all of the tools, you can select the shaded tab located at the top of each tool bar and drag it anywhere on the screen. This is important, because when you get to Step 12, by the default setup, you will not be able to visually locate the Operation tool bar. You will have to select and drag the Operation tool bar from the right bottom side of the screen to the location you select.
1.4
1 Start CATIA V5
From the NT Desktop, double click on the CATIA V5R5 icon. Be patient, it may take a few moments to bring up the CATIA V5 start logo and the actual CATIA V5 working window. Figure 1.3 shows what the screen should look like. If you are not able to finish all of the steps in this lesson in one session, you can jump to Step 23, which covers saving and exiting CATIA V5. This will allow you to save your work for your next session. Figure 1.3
1.5
and/or your Sketcher Work Bench screens are not maximized, maximize them using the Windows function at the top right of the screen. For future reference, there are two methods to select a work bench in CATIA V5. As you start CATIA V5, you are prompted by the default method. Using the Welcome to CATIA V5 pop-up window is one way. Once you have selected a work bench and the Welcome to CATIA V5 window has disappeared, you can bring it back up by selecting the Work Bench icon in the top right of your screen, reference Figure 1.4. The term work bench is used generically, because the Work Bench icon showing will be the current active work bench. Selecting that work bench will bring up the Welcome to CATIA V5 pop-up window. The other method of selecting another work bench, is by selecting the Start icon in the top left side of the screen, reference Figure 1.4. This will bring up a pull down menu that includes all of the work benches. Double click on the work bench you want to use, in this case the Sketcher Work Bench. Figure 1.4 shows what the menus look like on the screen for both methods described above. It is not possible to use both methods at the same time as shown in Figure 1.4; you can only use one method at a time. Work Bench icon, this shows the Part Design Work Bench as the current active work bench.
Figure 1.4
Start Menu
1.6
3.2 The step described above can be reversed. Select the Plane in the Specification Tree and the coordinating plane in the center of the screen will also be highlighted. 3.3 Other Planes, surfaces and/or other planner objects can also be selected to define the Sketcher Plane. This option will be covered in more detail later in the book. For this lesson select the ZX Plane as shown in Figure 1.5.
1.7
5.2
1.8
5.5
5.5.3
5.5.4 The Length option will appear at the bottom of the window list. 5.5.5 Selecting the down arrow will give you a list of all the types of length measurements. For this exercise, select inches.
5.5.6 Now go back to the Sketcher options by selecting the Part option in the left window and selecting the Sketcher tab on the right. Notice the Primary Spacing option is now showing in inches.
1.9
5.6 5.1
Figure 1.8
5.5.2
5.5.5
5.5.4
1.10
Figure 1.10
Zoom in
Zoom out
1.11
Figure 1.11
1.12
Figure 1.12a 7.3 A Point (+) will appear at the (1,1) coordinate. It will remain highlighted until you make another selection. There will be two green dimension lines locating the point from the (0,0) location. The dimension values should be one in the horizontal direction and one in the vertical direction. The green dimension lines constrain the point to that coordinate location (Figure 1.12a). Notice a Point.1 has been added to the Specification Tree (Figure 1.12b). Remember, you may have to expand the Specification Tree to see all of the entities. Point.1 will be under the Sketch branch. point (1,1)
constraints
point (0,0)
Figure 1.12b
8 Creating Line 1
Remember, the grid you set up is 1in Primary Spacing with 10 Graduations. This means the dotted lines represents .1 of an inch. Complete the following steps to create Line.1.
New point
8.1 Select the Line icon from the Profile tool bar. This will bring up the Tools pop-up window as shown in Figure 1.13. You will be prompted to Select A Point Or Click To Locate the Start Point. When you select the Line icon, your mouse will be accompanied by a Target Selector . Notice that the tool bar for the Line tool is similar to the Point tool bar. Figure 1.13
1.13
8.2 The starting point for Line.1 will be Point.1 created in Step 7. Using your mouse, select Point.1. You will now be prompted to Select A Point Or Click To Locate the End Point. The Tools pop-up window will also update to prompt for the end point. 8.3 The end point for Line.1 is (1,2). If you can use the grid to locate the correct location, do so. Move your Target Selector up one full grid line, but dont move it to the right or left (0 in the horizontal direction). Click on the grid line intersection (1,2). If you have any doubt where (1,2) is, type in the values using the Tools pop-up window. Type in 1 for the H: box and 2 for the V: box. 8.4 The first line is now created. Line.1 should look similar to the one shown in Figure 1.15. Figure 1.14 NOTE: Connecting one entity to another is safer and easier when the Snap To Point tool is on. When the Snap To Point tool is off, you must be careful when connecting one entity to another. Both entities must share the same common point. For example, for two connected lines, the end point for the first line must be the same exact starting point for the second line. The lack of a shared point will make the entities unlinked. This broken link will cause problems when moving and/or modifying your profile. The entities will not move together. Another problem with the broken link is that it creates an unclosed profile. Unclosed profiles will be covered later in this lesson. CATIA V5 does supply a visual tool to help you know exactly when the point being selected is shared with another entity. The symbol is shown in Figure 1.14, the blue circle filled with a blue dot signifies the point being selected is the end point of another entity. This will link the two entities together. This is a helpful tool, especially when the Snap To Grid tool is off.
NOTE: The Tools pop-up window gives you more options than the ones covered in Step 8.1 & 8.3. If you are typing in the information to create a line, you have the option of giving Polar Coordinate information, reference Figure 1.13. You enter a Start Point, L: (length of line) and A: (for angle). This lesson does not require you to use this option, although it could be helpful in the future.
1.14
9 Creating Line 2
Figure 1.15 To create the second line, you have to reselect the Line tool. Repeat the same process described in Step 8, except use (1,1) as the Start Point and (2,1) as the Ending Point. This will create the bottom horizontal line as shown in Figure 1.15. (1,2) Line.1 (1,1) Line.2 (2,1) (2,1.1)
10 Creating Line 3
Line.3 To create the third line, double click on the Line tool. Double clicking on the Line tool will allow you to create multiple lines without being required to repeatedly select the Line tool. With the Line tool double clicked, create Line 3, Start Point (2,1). The End Point for Line 3 is (2,1.1). Double clicking on the Line tool still requires you to select a Start Point and an End Point every time, but you will not have select the Line icon for every line. NOTE: If you make a mistake when creating one of the lines you can use the Undo tool . The Undo tool is located at the bottom of the screen. The Undo tool allows you to undo multiple steps. Another option for removing a mistake is deleting it. This can be done using the Cut tool also located at the bottom of the screen. Highlight the entity to be deleted then select the Cut tool.
1.15
With this tool added to your toolbox of knowledge, finish the L Shaped Extrusion. Create Lines 4, 5 and 6 by selecting the following coordinates in succession: select (2,1.1), select (1.1, 1.1), select (1.1,2) and double click on (.6, 2) to end the line creation. The finished profile should similar to the one shown in Figure 1.16. Figure 1.16 (1.1,2) NOTE: This particular Line.5 exercise does not Line.6 (2,1.1) require any features with radii, but the (.6,2) Line.2 Profile tool has the ability to create Line.4 them. Instead of (1.1,1.1) selecting an End Point and a Starting Point for line creation, select the point (where the arc is to begin), hold down the left mouse button and drag it away from the starting point, then release the mouse button. You will notice as you drag the mouse button around, the arc radius and location change. Move the mouse around to where you get the radius you want then select that point on the screen. Steps 12 through 16 give instruction on how to use additional tools to modify the sketch entities you have created.
12 Breaking Line 6
Step 11 purposely instructed you to create Line 6 longer than required. In this step you will learn how to Break a line. Step 13 will instruct you on how to trim Line 6 back to Line 1. To break Line 6, simply select the Break tool from the Operation tool bar. Select Line 6 as shown in Figure 1.17. The line will highlight then select a location on the line where you want the line broken. For the purpose of this lesson select approximately three Graduation lines from the left end point (Figure 1.17). The line is now broken. The easiest way to verify this is to select the broken line; only one of the two line segments will highlight. You could also select the Measure tool found at the bottom of the screen (Figure 1.18). Select the Measure tool then select (apply to) the line you want to measure. This would tell you how long the selected (broken) line is.
1.17
15 Modifying The Profile Using The Corner Tool The Corner tool is located in the Operations tool bar. This tool modifies existing entities; in this case, it will put a specified radius in the place of a square corner. The following instructions step you through the process of creating Corners (fillets). 15.1 Select the Corner tool. 15.2 The command prompt at the bottom left hand of the screen will prompt you with the following: Select the first curve, or a common point. 15.3 For this exercise, select Line.4 (Figure 1.22). 15.4 The next command prompt will ask you to Select the second curve. 15.5 For this exercise, select Line.5 (Figure 1.22). 15.6 Now move your mouse around; the radius of the corner you just created will grow and shrink according to the location of your mouse. The command prompt will prompt you to Click to locate the corner; in other words, move the mouse until the radius of the Corner is where you want it and click. 15.7 You now have a radius for that Corner. Your part should now look similar to the part shown in Figure 1.22. If your radius dimension does not match the one shown below it is ok, it will be modified later.
Line.5 Line.4
1.18
Line.5
1.19
1.20 Allowing quick modification to a sketch can be a powerful tool, especially in the beginning stages of a design. As the design nears completion, the ideas are being locked down; there are fewer variables. This is where CATIA V5 constraints come to the aid of the designer. As variables become known constants, you can constrain them. The purpose of this step was to give you a brief introduction to how CATIA V5 allows you to move and modify the sketched entities. It also introduced you to how to constrain the entities. The only way to fully understand all of the tools available to you is to test them yourself. Step 18 covers constraints in more detail.
Figure 1.25
1.21
18.1.5 If the initial location of the Constraint is not satisfactory reselect the dimension and drag and drop it at a new location. 18.1.6 To edit the value of the Constraint, double click on the value box. This will bring up the Constraint Definition window shown in Figure 1.26 Figure 1.26. This window shows the existing value for the Sketcher element. This value can be edited by typing the new value over the existing value. Then select OK or hit the Enter key. The entity linked to the Constraint will automatically be updated to the new value. If the Constraint is between two different entities, such as lines, select the first line and then the second line. CATIA V5 will constrain the distance between the two entities. The Constraint value will appear near the constraint. To move the Constraint value, follow Steps 18.1.4 and 18.1.5. For this lesson, constrain your L Shaped Extrusion similar to the one shown in Figure 1.27.
18.2 Auto Constraining The Profile This method accomplishes the same task as the Constraint tool just explained, except that Auto Constrain can be much quicker (automatic). Once you select the Auto Constraint tool, CATIA V% will bring up the Auto Constraint window prompting you to select which entities you want to constrain. Figure 1.28 shows what the Auto Constraint window looks like. You can select one entity at a time, multi-select or select only a few specific entities that you want constrained. After making your selection, select OK located at the bottom of the Auto Constraint window. The entities selected will show up in green with the Constraint value box. Getting complete control of this tool will take some practice and patience. If you feel brave, use this tool to constrain your L Shaped Extrusion and see if you get the same result shown in Figure 1.27.
1.23
18.3
Constraint Defined In Dialog Box To use this tool you have to select one or more entities and then select the Constraint Definition In a Dialog Box tool. This will bring up the Constraint Definition window as shown in Figure 1.29. The window will contain all the possible Constraints, but not all will be selectable. The only selectable Constraints are the ones that apply to the entities selected. Figure 1.29 For example, if you selected a line, you could apply the Length, Fix and Horizontality Constraints; all of the other Constraints will be dimmed (meaning they are not selectable). CATIA V5 will not allow you to select the Radius/Diameter constraint, because it does not apply to lines. Relationships between entities can also be established using this tool. For example, if you wanted Parallelism and Horizontality Constraints between the top profile line and the bottom profile line on the base leg of the L Shaped Extrusion, you would do the following: 18.3.1 Select both the bottom and top lines of the base leg of the L Shaped Extrusion (Lines 2 and 4 shown in Figure 1.30). This is a windows multi-select task, which is accomplished by holding down the CTRL key while selecting both lines. Both lines will highlight. 18.3.2 Select the Constraints Defined In Dialog Box tool. 18.3.3 The Constraints Definition window will pop up as shown in Figure 1.29. 18.3.4 Select the Parallelism box and the Horizontality box. 18.3.5 Select OK.
1.24
Horizontal symbols
The only way to really get complete control of this tool is to use it, experience it and dont be afraid to make a few mistakes (thats why there is an Undo button). 18.4 Animate Constraint The Animate Constraint tool allows you to visualize the effect one Constraint has on the entire profile. This is a very helpful tool, but be aware, you may not always end up with what you started with. Remember, entities will not always stay attached as other entity values change. CATIA V5 will remember the relationships the different entities have with each other, if they were created with a relationship. For example, if the end point of one line is the same as the start point of another line it does not mean there is any relationship between the two lines. To use this tool, follow the steps listed below. 18.4.1 Select one existing Constraint. Only one Constraint can be animated at a time. 18.4.2 Select the Animate Constraint tool.
1.25
18.4.3 The Animate Constraint window will pop up as shown in Figure 1.31. 18.4.4 Modify the parameters as desired/required and/or accept the default values. 18.4.5 Select the Play button. This will start the animation from the starting limit to the ending limit. 18.4.6 Watch the profile change as the selected entity animates from the first value to the last value. The Animate Constraint window has other options that you can test. NOTE: If your profile has entities created without relationship to other entities, the Rewind button could result in a different profile than what you started with. Be careful. Figure 1.31
Rewind button
1.26
19.5 The entity linked to the Constraint will automatically be updated to the new value. Your profile also updates automatically. Figure 1.32
If you want to know more information about a particular Constraint, double click on it and the Constraint Definition window will pop up. Select the More button to get detailed Constraint information. Figure 1.33 shows how the Constraint Definition window looks when the More button is selected. To get back to the default Constraint Definition window, select the Less button.
Figure 1.33 (Constraint Definition window with the More button selected)
See what you can learn about one of the Constraints on the L Shaped Extrusion. Double click on the Constraint on the bottom line of the base leg. From the Constraint Definition window, select the More button. The pop-up window gives you information on other entities the selected Constraint is connected (linked) to. It also gives you the opportunity to change the name of the Constraint that shows up on the Specification Tree.
1.27
a Unclosed Profile
b Floating Entities
c Multiple Profiles
d Over Constraint
1.28
You can exit the Sketcher Work Bench with your profile in any of the above conditions, but CATIA V5 will not extrude the profile into a 3-dimensional (solid) part. If you are ready to exit the Sketcher Work Bench, select the Exit tool Exit tool is located in the top right of the Sketcher Work Bench. . The
NOTE: The profile rotates back to the original three-dimensional view with your newly created profile of the L Shaped Extrusion. The Sketcher Work Bench grid disappears. The tools on the right hand tool bar will change, as shown in Figure 1.35. The only tools available for your use at this time are Pad, Shaft, Rib and Loft. The Pad tool is covered in Step 22 and Lesson 2. The Shaft, Rib and Loft tools are covered in the Advanced CATIA V5 Workbook. The next step will tell you how to use the PAD tool. If your screen looks similar to Figure 1.35, you are now in the Part Design Work Bench and ready to go to Step 22. Figure 1.35
Pad Shaft
Rib
Loft
1.29
1.30
Figure 1.37 (Pad Definition window with More selected) Type options available
These options are the same in the first and second limit boxes Once you have the Pad Definition window set up the way you want it, select the Apply button, this will give you a preview of what you just created. If you are not satisfied with the result, select the Cancel button. If you are satisfied, select the Ok button. The Ok button will create a three-dimensional part (solid) from your sketch. For the L Shaped Extrusion, extrude the profile 12 inches. Your L Shaped Extrusion should look similar to what is shown in Figure 1.38. 23 Saving The Newly Created L Shaped Extrusion You can stop what you are doing at any time and save the file you are working on. CATIA V5 also allows the user to set the time period for the automatic save. Before saving and exiting make sure you have finished all operations you have started. If you save and/or exit in the middle of an operation, the operation will not be saved. CATIA V5 allows you to name the file as you wish. The file extension will be *.CATPart. All of the files created in the Sketcher Work Bench and finished in the Part Design Work Benches will have a *.CATAPart extension. To Save a CATIA V5 file, complete the following steps. Figure 1.38
23.1 Verify that all operations are complete and the part (CATPart) is the way you want it to be saved. 23.2 Select File from the top tool bar (Figure 1.39). 23.3 Select Save As (Figure 1.39).
Creating A Simple Part 23.4 In the Save As window, select the directory you want the CATPart to be Saved in as shown in Figure 1.40. 23.5 In the same window, type in the File name. For this lesson save the file as L Shaped Extrusion. 23.6 Notice CATIA V5 will automatically give the file the extension *.CATPart. 23.7 If everything is the way you want it in the File, Save As window, select the Save button.
Figure 1.39
Figure 1.40
NOTE: Remember the file name and the directory you saved it to, you will need it for Lesson 2.
1.32
24 Exiting CATIA V5
To exit CATIA V5, complete the following steps. 24.1 Make sure you saved the CATPart (if you wanted it saved). If you have made any changes to the CATPart and not saved, CATIA V5 will prompt you to save when exiting. Figure 1.41 24.2 Select File from the top pull down tool bar as shown in Figure 1.41. 24.3 Select Exit. 24.4 If the CATPart was previously saved, CATIA V5 will shut down and your computer will go back to the NT Desktop. As described above, if some changes were made to the CATPart without being saved, CATIA V5 will prompt you to Save before allowing you to exit to the NT Desktop.
1.33
Lesson 1 Review
After completing this lesson, you should be able to answer the questions and explain the concepts listed below. 1. What is the definition of a Constraint? 2. Does CATIA V5 require Constraints to create a profile in the Sketcher Work Bench? 3. What is meant by an unclosed profile? 4. Can an unclosed profile be extruded? 5. What does Anchoring the profile do in the Sketcher Work Bench? 6. How many different ways can you select the XY plane? 7. Explain how you would change the Sketcher units of measurements from mm to inches. 8. The Sketcher Grid is made up of two different entities, one is the Primary Spacing, name the other. 9. What is the advantage of Constraining a profile in the Sketcher Work Bench? 10. How do you modify a Constraint? 11. Is it a good thing to Over Constrain a profile? 12. Explain your answer to question 11. 13. What icon do you use to exit the Sketcher Work Bench and enter the Part Design Work Bench? 14. How can you view all of the default tool bars in Sketcher Work Bench? 15. What tool in the Part Design Work Bench is used to extrude a profile created in the Sketcher Work Bench? 16. The actual process of extruding a profile adds what branch to the Specification Tree? 17. List as many types of constraints as you can. 18. Can one Sketch have more than one profile? 19. While in the Sketcher Work Bench and using the mouse, how would you move (pan) the profile around the screen? 20. When you are connecting one end point of a line to another, how does CATIA V5 let you know you are Snapping to the existing end point and not just getting close?
1.34
1. Using the Sketcher Work Bench and the other tools covered in Lesson 1, create the following profile and extrude to the dimensions shown below. When completed save as Lesson 1 Exercise 1.CATPart.
Suggested Steps: 1. Select the XY plane (the plane the profile will be sketched on). Reference Step 3 for information on selecting planes. 2. Enter the Sketcher Work Bench. Reference Step 4. 3. Sketch the profile of the part. Hint: use the Profile tool. 4. Anchor the lower left hand corner of the sketch. Reference Step 17 for anchoring a profile. 5. Constrain the profile to match the dimensions shown above. Reference Step 18 for constraining a profile.
1.35
6. Exit the Sketcher Work Bench, return to the Part Design Work Bench (the 3D environment). Reference Step 21 for exiting the Sketcher Work Bench and entering the Part Design Work Bench. 7. Once in the Part Design Work Bench, extrude the profile to the dimension shown (2). Reference Step 22 for extruding a profile. 8. Save the part as Lesson 1 Exercise 1.CATPart. Reference Step 23 for saving a file.
2. This part (profile) should be straightforward. This would be a good exercise to try different methods of constraining and testing the results. Save the shape as Lesson 1 Exercise 2.CATPart.
HINT: To help make it easier to sketch this part, set the grid Primary Spacing to 1 and the Graduations to 4. This will put the grid lines in the Sketcher screen to a .25 inch spacing. With that spacing, all you have to do is snap to the intersections of the grid to sketch the part.
1.36
3. This practice exercise is a little bit more challenging, lets see what you can do with it. Save this CATPart as Lesson 1 Exercise 3.CATPart.
HINT: It is not as complicated as it looks. If your grid Graduations are set to 10, just snap to the intersections for the beginning and ending points of your lines. To set the constraint for the angles, select the angled lines and the angle constraint will appear. Reference Step 19 for modifying the angle value. If the profile gets over constrained, delete the Parallel constraint. Save the file as Lesson 1 Exercise 3.CATPart.
1.37
4. This practice exercise should challenge you. For this part, use radius values, not angles. Save this CATPart as Lesson 1 Exercise 4.CATPart.
HINT: This part can be done using the radius option in the profile command. Before starting, set the grid Primary Spacing to 1 and the Graduations to 4. Sketching with the Profile icon (radius option) 1. Start at the bottom left corner of the part. 2. Select the Profile icon from the right menu bar. 3. Sketch the vertical 1.50 inch line that defines the left edge of the part. 4. Now sketch the first arc along the top of the part. To do this, hold down the left mouse button and drag it in the direction you want the arc to go then release the mouse button. The arc will appear and allow you to drag and place it where you want. Place it on the grid intersection 2 inches above the bottom of the part and a half-inch to the right. This will only create half of the arc needed, so the process will have to be repeated to sketch the other half of the arc. 5. Finish sketching the rest of the part. When you reach the inside .25 radius, repeat Step 4. 6. When the sketch is done, constrain it to double check that all of the dimensions match the part shown above. Make the necessary changes if needed.
1.38
5. This will give you more practice with the Line and Profile icons in the Sketcher Workbench. When you are done, save the part as Lesson 1 Exercise 5.CATPart.
6. This exercise will give you some practice using the Corner and Line icons. When you are done, save the CATPart as Lesson 1 Exercise 6.CATPart.
1.39
7. This will give you more practice using the Line and Corner icons. Save this CATPart as Lesson 1 Exercise 7.CATPart.
HINT: Use the Line or Profile icon first to sketch the profile using sharp corners (no radius). Once it is constrained to the dimensions above, go back and add in the radii using the Corner icon.
1.40
NOTES: